God called you here
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.”From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. (Matthew 4:12-23)
Why are we here? Why do we have Church? The Gospel of Matthew tells us that as Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, he saw the people fishing and said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” Immediately, they left what they were doing and followed him. What were they going to do when they left life as they knew it for a call from Jesus to “follow him?”
Why are we here? Why are you here? I believe the answer is scary but simple. We were called by Jesus to be here. And, we said, “yes.” Why else would we show up? I was called. You were called. We all were called. But the call doesn’t stop once we show up. Once here, we pray together, we sing together, we gather around this table together, hoping to discover, to discern why we were called. What does Jesus want me, want us, to do?
Our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry shares this, “In the first century Jesus of Nazareth called us to join a movement. A community of people whose lives were centered on Jesus Christ and committed to living the way of God’s unconditional, unselfish, sacrificial, and redemptive love. Before they were called ‘church’ or ‘Christian,’ this Jesus Movement was simply called ‘the Way.’ Today I believe our vocation is to live as the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement. But how can we together grow more deeply with Jesus Christ at the center of our lives, so we can bear witness to his way of love in and for the world?”
Bishop Curry’s challenge is at the heart of why we are called to be here. What might we need to pray about, to discern, during this week ahead? Curry’s identification of Jesus’ Way, and his questions regarding what we might need for the ministry ahead, is what our annual meeting is all about. We gather to celebrate everything that we do together and to pray about what we need for the work ahead. We need each other to do the work Jesus is calling us to do.
Early followers of Jesus gathered for a simple supper, an agape meal. They listened to the sayings of Jesus, then decided together how to respond to God’s call. These simple community meals evolved into the institutional church worldwide, organized to accomplish the ministry of Jesus within our own contexts. The Episcopal Church, the religious institution to which we belong, was structured around the government of the United States.
In her book, Your Faith, Your Life, Jenifer Gamber shares, “Just as the US government has three levels of government— federal, state, and local— the Episcopal Church is divided into three levels, too— churchwide, diocesan, and congregational, each with its own elected leader. The presiding bishop is the leader of the Episcopal Church; bishops lead dioceses; and rectors lead congregations. Just as with the US government, each level of the church polity has its own governing body.”
Here at St. Christopher’s, our local governing body is the vestry. Jenifer Gamber continues, “Every year, a congregation has an annual meeting when members discuss plans for the coming year and share their concerns. At this meeting, parishioners receive the congregation’s budget and elect members of the vestry. They also elect delegates to the diocesan convention.”
The Annual Meeting is a time to recognize, identify, and appreciate the gifts of the heart and the gifts of the spirit, enveloping us right here, right now, in this church. What are your expectations of this place? What do you think are this place’s expectations of you?
This year, at the Annual Meeting, we will gather together to recognize all that has changed and the challenges ahead caused by that change. At St. Christopher’s, your previous rector accepted another call, which led to a change of leadership. The COVID pandemic caused traumatic change. Anything stable in our lives shifted, disappeared, dropped away, and then we all moved into isolation in order to stay safe and healthy. I was called to be your interim rector, which meant a congregational change of focus as we work together to prepare for your new rector.
In the midst of all this change, we also take a look at the challenges ahead. In order to prepare for the annual meeting, our vestry, search committee, finance committee, and your staff have been working together to evaluate what we have, what we need, and what it will take to accomplish all that we hope to accomplish as the people of St. Christopher’s.
Even though some haven’t returned during COVID, we are lucky to have the gift of people. Studies conducted by the Episcopal Church suggest that some are scared, and others got out of the holy habit of coming to church on Sunday.
We are challenged by the lack of money. The vestry considered cutting staff. The vestry considered cutting services. The vestry considered cutting programs. I even offered to leave. Why? Because, on the budget, I am the big-ticket item, and interims come and interims go. Unlike everybody else on the staff, I have a start date and I have an end date. We all know this. This is the reality of being an interim rector. But, after all of this, it was decided that at this present moment in time doing any of this would significantly damage and compromise our community’s life.
Mark Schneider, a member of both the Vestry and finance committee, shares this insight, “How could a small church have a deficit of $100,000? A combination of declining attendance and income on the revenue side, and staffing up to grow parish attendance and engagement on the expense side. This challenge has intensified over a number of years, accelerated by the pandemic. One factor that helped keep the budget balanced in prior years was an active corps of volunteers, less available today, which has shifted more necessary functions to paid staff.
Mark added, “There is no quick fix: forcing a balanced budget this year would significantly alter worship services and programs that bind this parish together. Reversing these trends will demand more of all members over time: more support of programs and services that make this parish vibrant; more commitment to invite acquaintances to attend and experience this valuable house of worship. This deficit is a call to strengthen our resolve and to pray more fully.”
As you prepare to attend the Annual Meeting next week, I invite you to consider that this is a time of discernment; questioning, searching our own spiritual selves, praying to uncover, recognize, develop, and ultimately share the gifts you and I have been given for the work of God in this particular place and time.
We were all called to be here. But, in the midst of challenges, it is easy to forget that God is with us. It becomes harder to hear and discern together what God is calling us to do. We are raising families. We are taking care of parents. We are working. We are going to school. We are managing our health challenges. We are laughing, and living, and loving. How am I going to find time to figure all this out? How am I going to make room to discern why Jesus called me here? Why did I accept God’s invitation? Why did I say “yes?”
I believe Jesus’ life and ministry empower us to find language and expression around love and around the mystery of suffering. The Church and the teaching of the tradition help us find words for our experiences. I believe our collective spirits inspire us to live better, to love deeply, and to act with great care.
Believing you and I could live a better life under God, Jesus’ called his friends and followers together, and started the world’s first non-profit - the Church. And here we are. Those who came before us built this church and then, many more between here and there, passed it on to us. I wonder what they were thinking about when they cut ground on this property so many years ago. God called them and, because God called them, God called us, and here we are.
We have this Church to celebrate. This is why I am here. This is why you are here. We were called here. So, what are we supposed to do now? Why were you called to this particular part of the Jesus Movement we call St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Oak Park, Illinois?
Jesus called us. Now what?
Gamber, Jenifer; Lewellis, Bill. Your Faith, Your Life (p. 151). Church Publishing Incorporated. Kindle Edition.
Gamber, Jenifer; Lewellis, Bill. Your Faith, Your Life (p. 155). Church Publishing Incorporated. Kindle Edition.